1. Field
Embodiments of the invention relate generally to data presentation and more specifically, but not exclusively, to controlling display of data on a display screen.
2. Background Information
Smart compact devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular phones and portable music players are capable of storing and accessing large amounts of data. A user can store and retrieve information from a smart compact device by manipulating screen objects (e.g., scroll bars, drop-down lists, buttons, text windows, etc.) of a graphical user interface (GUI) with an activating object such as a finger or a pen.
The graphical user interface on a smart compact device is often derived from graphical user interfaces that are well known on desktop computers. A key difference between desktop computers and smart compact devices is that the display screen on a smart compact device is much smaller. The small size makes it difficult to present data stored in the smart compact device in an easy to use way.
One exemplary prior art technique for presenting data on a display screen of a smart compact device is illustrated in FIG. 1. This technique has been disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,904,570.
Referring to FIG. 1, a menu 100 lists contact names stored in a cellular phone address book. A user can scroll up or down through the list 100. When the user taps a desired contact name 102 with the activating object such as a pen or finger, a popup window 110 is displayed instead of or on top of the list 100. The user can then tap the dial icon 112 to initiate the dialing sequence.
However, the above technique results in a popup window obscuring some or all of the data displayed in the main window, preventing the navigation of the menu system at any level other than the currently selected hierarchical level.